St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-15
MURDERED FOR GOLD.
Jacob Kohn Killel ! in His Bed
BY a Man Whom He Had
Befriended.
A Cold-Blooded Murder, With
Money as the Only Known
Motive.
Nicholas Kill, a Work House
Graduate, the Perpetrator
of the Crime.
Quick Work Of the Police In
Tracking and Capturing
the Villain.

Within half mile from the carriage
entrance to the State Fair grounds
stands d large frame house. Looking to
the northwest, its square white tower is
plainly visible above the tops of the
sttlnted shade trees which surround it.
The house was formerly the farm resi-
dence of eX-County Commissioner
George II. Hazard, but for year
past has been unoccupied, except
as sleeping place for Jacob
kohn. the man who looked after the
stock ON the farm. The place is lonely
and deserted, and the road leading to it
from the main turnpike is overgrown
with weeds. "Jake" Kohn was found
i'll his bed at 6 O'Clock yesterday morn
ing, lying on his face, unconscious and
dying. The bed clothes were saturated
with his blood, which ooZed from three
terrible holes in his head, and filtering
through the straw mattress, fell in
measured drops upon the floor below.
He died at $3.50 O'Clock, leaving one of
the most mysterioue and wilful murders
which was ever recorded in the criminal
annals of st. Paul to be mraveled by
the police. There was only one clue
the neighbors testified to having seen
an unknown man in company with
Kehn about the premises for several
days past. That man could not be
found.
HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED.
The discovery of the murder was made
by Charles Weber, yodng German
butcher employed by William Sanders,
who keeps the saloon and restaurant on
Hamline avenue at the Fair grounds
entrance. Sanders had previously pur-
chased calf from Mr.. Hazard, and he
Gent Weber to the place early yesterday
informing with instructions to butcher
the calf and then bring the carcass
away. Weber took with him butcher
ing knife and arrived at the Hazard
fs.Ia about o'clock. There was no
o..e in sight on the premises and Weber,
after looking over the stock in the cor
raj, approached the house. AS he came
toward the door he was Mortified by the
distressing gr0ans of the wounded man
inside. His first impulse was to run,
and went to the window from where the
sounds seemed to come. The room
where Kohn lay is in the center of the
house on the south side, and was
formerly used as a dining hall.
A door opens into the room from
small porch, and the room is lighted
10y one window, which also looks out
upon the porch. The only furniture in
the room was the vanished pine bed
stead on which the murdered man lay.
The bedding consisted of straw matt
tress, dirty sheet and pillow and two
stuffed calico comfOrterS. Weber took
in the horrible sight at a glance through
the window. Then he turned and ran
toward the house of the nearest neighbor
August Robinson, whose residence is
located almost directly south from the
Hazard place. distance of seventy
rods. August Robinson was not in the
house, and Weber turned and ran to the
house of Joshua Robinson, father of
August, which is east of Hazards
place about fifty rods. To Joshua Rob
inson he first told what he had seen.
The two went back to the place and
MIR. Robinson tried the door. 1t was
not locked and stood slightly ajar. 81
thought he was dead and didn't think 1
had any right to go in until an officer
came," said Mr.. Robinson, $50 called
my son and John Wyandt, who was
guest at my house. A Mr.. MatZ, who
lives in st. Paul. came along then and
we sent for Lorenzo Hoyt, justice of the
peace, who lives just about fifty rods to
the north of Hazards. BY the time MIR.
Hoyt arrived, w. l.. McGratb, who is
tailor in st. Paul and lives out north of
the fair grounds, drove up and we all
went in" Kohn
WAS APPARENTLY DEAD,
but when they turned him over on his
back he was observed to breathe. A G.
HendrickSOn, assistant commissioner of
fn hQ y,Ia nd
what was the matter drove at once to
the city and sent out DIR. Hoyt, who ar
rived about $50 o'clock. An examina-
ton of the wounds showed that they
were fatal. The right side of his fore
head was crushed in, evidently
by a blow from some blunt in
strument. A wound penetrating the
skull was found in the back
partof his head and his right ear was
split in two. He also had an extensive
wound in the top of his scalp. Any
one of the wounds would have been
sufficient to cause death. Kohn died an
hour later without speaking word or
making sign, and Coroner Quinn dis
patched Undertaken Nick Gross to the
house and had the body removed to the
Hillstreet mOrgue. DR.. Hoyt made a
pOStfn0rtem examination in the after
noon and arrived at the conclusion that
the wounds had been made with a
round-headed hammer.
Information of the murder came to-
Chief of Police Clark at S o'clock and
Capt. Bresette was sent to the place at
once. A meagre description of the
missing stranger was obtained and
every possible power eXerted to prevent
his escape and assist i'll his capture
Detectives O'COnnOr and Ahern were
sent to Minneapolis to watch in
coming and outgoing trains, and De-
tectiveS DAILY and Kenaly were detail led
to the same duty in st. Paul. The de-
scription was telephoned to every
patrolman in the city and dispatched
at once to the authorities of all i'm
portant towns within radius
of three hundred miles. Sergt. Budy
of the mounted squad, and mounted
officers Happing and Kline were de-
TAILED to scour the country north of the
| city, and Chief of Detectives O'Connor
and Chief Clark busted themselves in
the endeavor to find out more fully who
| the missing man was. AT noon they
! had in their possession a cliain of cir
cumstancial evidence which made it
+ absolutely certain that
! THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
had committed the awful deed. with an
accurate description of the stranger,
his full name, and previous, record. 1t
| was quick work and creditable work for
all concerned. The murderer was
Nicholas Kill, who was released from il
! months sentence at the wOrkhOuSe last
| Friday, where he was booked as John
| Kiefer. The object of the murder was
l undoubtedly robbery, but the fieEd